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1cruiselvr recovery diary

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I was doing exactly that - until we got a tornado warning with rotation in the air near my house. Wouldn't you know it - my husband is out of town on business. So I had to grab the 2 dogs, 1 cat and head for the safe place in the house. Now my knee is throbbing. But at least we are all safe, the rotation in the air didn't touch down in my area but did about 20 miles away. We still have a severe t-storm warning until 11pm tonight. Guess I will be up for awhile watching the weather/news for any developments. I guess climbing into the bathtub at warp speed wasn't good for my knee. :cry4:
 
Well, but you did it. :friends: Ah, tornado season. :( I hope you can get some decent :sleep: tonight
 
Yes I did it and we are all safe which is most important. I've got the knee iced up right now and watching an old Dr. Phil show to keep my mind off the pain, hopefully it will settle down as soon as the pain pill I just took kicks in. Thx for caring.
 
I am glad to read that you and your pets are safe--but you are making progress and you did what you needed to to---your knee did what it is supposed to do.

your knee is fine---the soft tissue around it is a little sore, but that should dissipate fairly quickly.
 
Yes, I'm hoping it will be ok for PT tomorrow. Right now it's not happy. Thank goodness for pain medication when you need it. :biggrin:
 
Lynne, extension is the most difficult thing to recover, so don't worry about where you are at this EARLY point in your recovery. You have plenty of time to get there.

Here is a thread on improving extension from our BoneSmart Library.

Please don't consider an MUA quite yet. Usually they are less successful when done too early because your knee is still settling down. You could easily have swelling inside that is inhibiting your movement. Instead, tell your doctor that you want to work on the extension yourself and do the exercises daily. It takes time, so give yourself a month or so to get there. But you will....
 
Thx Jamie. Being in KS I'm sure you can relate to the tornado scare I went thru tonight..sigh.
I will review the extension exercises tomorrow when I'm feeling better and start on them right away. I'm going to show my OS I can do it myself.....by improving substantially in the next 2 weeks.
 
Oh yes....we know storms well here in Kansas City. Glad you are safe. I believe you will be able to get your extension!
 
Re 1cruiselvr: I had the opposite problem--ROM. My extension has been pretty good from the beginning. The advice you've been given is good--put your heel on a pillow on a table and let gravity stretch your leg. I also slept (and still do) on my back with my leg straight out in between sleeping on one side or the other with a pillow between my legs. I couldn't lay on my back very long at first, but now I actually sleep that way. I think you do it until it gets too uncomfortable and then shift. It might be worth a try. People on this site feel that MUA so early will only make your knee more angry and swollen. No reason you can't say, I want to try on my own and wait until......Ask here when it might be a reasonable and helpful option. I really think the advice I am getting here is solid, although sometimes I have to work pretty hard to convince PT and OS that this is the case.
 
Apparently I have developed scar tissue which is preventing good extension. The MUA breaks up the scar tissue. I am going to work on the at-home exercises but I also trust in my OS. He's fantastic. If he says I need the MUA when I see him next week, then I'm going to go for it. Some folks build up scar tissue fast and it's nobody's fault, just mother nature. I know the MUA will make my knee angry but hopefully, it will settle down quickly.
 
No MUA for me. OS thinks I can improve my extension thru PT and at-home exercises. I don't know whether to be happy about no MUA or not. A tiny part of me was hoping it would be a quick fix to my extension problem because as it is right now, the lack of extension is the major source of my pain. I'm a little over 7 weeks and have to admit I'm getting very tired of the discomfort. My spirit is weary today.
 
Lynne, Just the thought of having MUA spooks me. The thought of having a more swollen, more angry knee is not a happy one. Keep icing, keep trying those exercises. Are you able to prop your heel on a pillow and let gravity work on straightening your knee? I'd do it after meds have kicked in.

I'm more than twice as far as you are post op and I still have ROM issues, but I am very, very slowly having less pain and have been able to cut back a bit on medication. A long process...hmmm...did I really understand the meaning of the word "long" before this experience? I don't think so. I have plans to take a walk with a fellow TKR woman, the mother of our school adm. secretary. I will love going at the same pace, not feeling as though I am ruining another person's walk.
 
Lynne-
I am a week behind you in healing.
I had a bit of an extension problem initially, and my PT guy said not to worry that it will come. I think it was prob. between 5-10 degrees initially, but now I am at 0! I worked hard just straightening my legs in bed and tightening the quads- kind of like a wake-up stretch. Plus PT guy does a bit of work with it and I only go 2X-3X/week.
Flexion is not too bad, ~115 last week, again I am glad PT guy is not worried, he says we will get there with time.
I am finding that I get weird pains in different spots of the knee. Some are like needle jabs, some are like knife stabs- all while sitting still. Also interesting is how some days I need very little pain meds, and other days, with no difference in activity levels, I seem to need more! Does that happen to you?
 
Jancat...yes same with me. When I have a good day and require close to no pain medication I think this means I've jumped a hurdle but the very next day it's like 2 steps back, very frustrating isn't it. I also get the jabs of sharp pains, like needles or electric current being shot thru the knee for a few seconds at a time. I recognize this as the nerves regenerating as I had the same pain many years ago when I had a breast lumpectomy. Sometimes those pains can cause me to jump a bit they are so strong and powerful. But I tell myself it's good news - my knee is healing. I usually get these type of pains just before I fall asleep. How about you?
Juniper, I definitely didn't know the meaning of 'long' before this surgery. I also didn't know the meaning of the word patience. Problem is I don't think my job understands it either. They seem very frustrated when I told them I haven't been released for back to work yet. Nobody I work with has ever had a TKR so they have nothing to compare except regular surgeries like appendectomy, etc. My fear is that they think I'm milking my situation.
Good for you - walking with a friend. I can't do that yet, I still use a cane and the steps around the house and to/from PT is enough work for me right now.
 
Lynne, but you are two months later with your TKR than I am. I haven't done that walk yet. Just have it planned. My walks so far are with my husband who is very kind about it, but I'd love to walk with someone who actually needs to walk at the same pace as I do.

I wish I hadn't gone back to work as soon as I did. I would have had the time, but I missed the students, and I felt guilty about not being there to help with the curriculum pieces I'm in charge of...Now I am counting the weeks until summer vacation. Only five. Hope tomorrow is a good day.
 
Juniper....oh I didn't notice your surgery date. I am currently nestled in bed, iced up and getting ready to try and finish a movie I started last night, a silly thing called THE HANGOVER - Part 2, but a silly comedy is just what I need right now. How many weeks after surgery did you return to work? I will be 8 weeks post-op this Wednesday. I can't imagine going back to work yet, I have no stamina. I would fall asleep at my desk for sure.:th_heehee:
 
I am right there with you Lynne. I still have no energy. I am hoping I can go back to work next month. My energy level is still low. This is a crazy roller coaster ride. Some days I am feeling great and feel like I can kick the pain meds and other days I am in bed with the ice pack elevating my knee. We will get through this. One day we will be out doing all we want without even thinking about our knees
 
Mary, I'm glad to know it's not just me. I was beginning to think maybe something was wrong, maybe post-surgery anemia, because I've never been this tired in my life. But when I reflect back to surgery day, I know the journey is getting easier, a little bit each day. I'm looking forward to the day when I can go for a long walk, pain free and no cane! Best wishes.
 
I am very blue right now. Just found out a good work friend quit and moved out of the state while I've been gone recovering. She called today to give me the news. I didn't get to give her a goodbye/good luck hug. :cry4:
 
Lynne, this sounds hard...life going on without you. I get that. Many of my friends are friends I walk with--in beautiful places. Now, I simply hold them back and it isn't exercise for them or fun for either of us. Aarrrgggh. I went back to work too soon--at five weeks, only part time, but by seven weeks I was full time. Today...four months post op, in spite of icing and elevating during lunch, my knee was so swollen that I skipped out on our faculty meeting to elevate and ice my knee. I have to trust that people understand how hard I'm working to stay as long as I do. I think it's hard to understand unless you've been through TKR. Yesterday I exercised at the gym, then showered and went to the sauna to stretch my knee. A woman came in and told me she'd had a partial knee replacement. We both were hungry to tell our stories. I hope I see her again.

Later yesterday, determined to have an almost normal weekend, I went to pick strawberries. I couldn't squat, so I just bent over, and worked to step on uneven ground. My husband and I each picked 4 quarts of strawberries, and I was delighted, but oh my knee is screaming now.

Take care of yourself. Doing that and working at the same time are very hard. Be kind to yourself. I wish I had understood that minimally invasive surgery does not mean minimal pain or swelling. Jane
 
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